Talk

The Lost City and the Last City

Louie Giglio

September, 22, 2024

Louie Giglio dives into Revelation 17 and 18, unpacking what the Great City of Babylon looks like. As we recognize the undercurrent of injustice and destruction in our cities, we are meant to reorient ourselves to our primary purpose in this life: to walk in a relationship with our Creator as we did in the Garden of Eden.

Key Takeaway

We are called to enjoy the best of the city, transform the worst of the city, and long for the lost city.

Our story opens in a garden and ends in a city.

Garden—Eden.

City—The New Jerusalem, the Holy City of God.

In the Garden of Eden, there was responsibility, relationship, and beauty.

But there was an interloper that came into the Garden of Eden, coming in with doubt about God's character and something enticing and tempting, fracturing the best part of the Garden: man and woman walked with God. That's what made paradise, paradise. The creator and the created walked together in relationship. Your primary purpose is to walk with your creator.

There was a great divorce in the Garden, but God was good, and He made it possible for us to find our way back to Him. But the consequences of the fracture are still in the Garden, and we are not in paradise anymore. But there is a new city coming.

The Great City (Babylon) is the construct of sin that fractures our relationship with God.

We aren't against the city. There is allure and opportunity. But in the physical city, there is abandonment, corruption, and darkness. There is a concentration of good and bad things.

There are undercurrents of "The Great City." There are injustices, a value of things, progress over human beings, and freedom. The Great City is about deception and darkness.

The Great City is very alluring and can take us all out.

If we've set our gaze on Babylon, we're falling with it. You will collapse from within. So what do we do today?

We come out of Babylon.

We don't escape, but we engage, living in the city instead of being of the city.

1. Enjoy the best of the city.

2. Transform the worst of the city.

3. Long for the last city.

The city needs us—it needs salt, light, change, and love. We don't just come inside the church; we go outside its walls and invest in it.

We remember that the highest beauty of the Garden, where our story began, is the same highest beauty in the city where our story will end. And that is that we will be with God.

Heaven is not about getting out of The Great City. Heaven is being with God.

There is beauty all around us in the city, but we must fall in love with Jesus all over again to escape Babylon.

“

"We want to live for the last city, in the midst of the lost city."

”

Louie Giglio

Discussion Questions

What did Louie Giglio mention was the best part of the Garden of Eden? How did this perspective help shift your understanding of creation and the Garden of Eden?
What was mentioned as your primary purpose? Are you living in a way that reflects your primary purpose?
What sin are you currently entangled in?
How has sin fractured your relationship with God?
What undercurrents of The Great City have you noticed most in your city?
How can you engage with the city you're living in?
Are you in love with Jesus, seeking after Him above all else? Or are your eyes on the things of this world?

Scripture References

1Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

4‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast

1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”

3Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

babylon the great

the mother of prostitutes

and of the abominations of the earth.

6I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

9“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

12“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

15Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Lament Over Fallen Babylon

1After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2With a mighty voice he shouted:

“ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’

She has become a dwelling for demons

and a haunt for every impure spirit,

a haunt for every unclean bird,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.

3For all the nations have drunk

the maddening wine of her adulteries.

The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,

and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment

4Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“ ‘Come out of her, my people,’

so that you will not share in her sins,

so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

5for her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her crimes.

6Give back to her as she has given;

pay her back double for what she has done.

Pour her a double portion from her own cup.

7Give her as much torment and grief

as the glory and luxury she gave herself.

In her heart she boasts,

‘I sit enthroned as queen.

I am not a widow;

I will never mourn.’

8Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:

death, mourning and famine.

She will be consumed by fire,

for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

9“When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,

you mighty city of Babylon!

In one hour your doom has come!’

11“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.

14“They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16and cry out:

“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,

dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,

and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!

17In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:

“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,

where all who had ships on the sea

became rich through her wealth!

In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’

20“Rejoice over her, you heavens!

Rejoice, you people of God!

Rejoice, apostles and prophets!

For God has judged her

with the judgment she imposed on you.”

The Finality of Babylon’s Doom

21Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:

“With such violence

the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,

never to be found again.

22The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,

will never be heard in you again.

No worker of any trade

will ever be found in you again.

The sound of a millstone

will never be heard in you again.

23The light of a lamp

will never shine in you again.

The voice of bridegroom and bride

will never be heard in you again.

Your merchants were the world’s important people.

By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.

24In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,

of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

9Do your best to come to me quickly,

10for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

2You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?

15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

16To those who sold doves he said,

“Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”

17His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Louie Giglio

Louie Giglio is the Visionary Architect and Director of the Passion Movement, comprised of Passion Conferences, Passion City Church, Passion Publishing and sixstepsrecords, and the founder of Passion Institute.